Cardiovascular Diseases Flashcards Preview

Abi Biology 2017 > Cardiovascular Diseases > Flashcards

Flashcards in Cardiovascular Diseases Deck (63)
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1
Q

What are cardiovascular diseases?

A

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels

2
Q

What are congenital diseases?

A

Cardiovascular diseases that are inherited from parents (hereditary)

3
Q

What are the main causes of cardiovascular diseases?

A

They can be congenital

They can be caused by poor life choices

4
Q

What kind of lifestyle choices can cause a cardiovascular disease?

A
A diet high in fat
Smoking
Excessive alcohol intake
Stress
Not enough exercise
5
Q

What are five cardiovascular diseases?

A
Hypertension
Hypotension
Stroke
Heart attack
Arrhythmia
6
Q

What two heart conditions involve blood pressure?

A

Hypertension

Hypotension

7
Q

What is blood pressure?

A

The force that is exerted by the circulating blood on the blood vessels walls

8
Q

When does blood pressure reach its maximum?

A

When the ventricles contract

9
Q

What is this maximum blood pressure called?

A

Systolic pressure

10
Q

When does blood pressure reach its minimum?

A

When the cardiac muscle is relaxed

11
Q

What is this minimum pressure called?

A

Diastolic pressure

12
Q

What instrument measures blood pressure?

A

Sphygmomanometer

13
Q

How does a sphygmomanometer measure blood pressure?

A

The height of a column of mercury indicates the pressure in the arteries

14
Q

What unit is used to measure blood pressure?

A

Millimetre Mercury

mmHg

15
Q

What is the normal blood pressure of a resting, healthy adult?

A

120 mmHg systolic

80 mmHg diastolic

16
Q

How is blood pressure written?

A

As systolic pressure over diastolic pressure

17
Q

What kinds of things can influence blood pressure?

A

Stress
Medication
Disease

18
Q

What is hypertension?

A

High blood pressure

19
Q

What is high blood pressure?

A

When there is an abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries fro a considerable time

20
Q

What is high blood pressure also known as?

A

The silent killer

21
Q

Why is hypertension called the silent killer?

A

Because clear symptoms of the condition are not always evident

22
Q

What can high blood pressure cause?

A

Damaged blood vessels
A stroke
A heart attack

23
Q

How can hypertension be treated?

A

Medication

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle

24
Q

What is hypotension?

A

Low blood pressure

25
Q

What is low blood pressure?

A

The opposite of high blood pressure

26
Q

What are symptoms of low blood pressure?

A

Weakness

Dizziness

27
Q

What is a stroke?

A

A loss of brain function

28
Q

How does a stroke occur?

A

When there is a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain

29
Q

What can cause a shortage of oxygen supply to the brain?

A

A blood clot that blocks a blood vessel

30
Q

What does a blood clot in a blood vessel which leads to the brain cause?

A

Bleeding in the brain tissue

31
Q

What can a stroke lead to?

A

Paralysis of one or more limbs (usually on one side of the body)
Speech impediments (either understanding or communication)
Partial blindness
Permanent neurological damage, complications and death

32
Q

What is an aneurysm?

A

A localised blood-filled bubble

33
Q

What raises the risk of a stroke?

A
Advanced age
High blood pressure
Diabetes
High cholesterol 
Smoking
34
Q

What is a heart attack?

A

When the supply of blood to the cardiac muscle is interrupted

35
Q

What happens when the supply of blood that leads to the heart is interrupted?

A

Part of the cardiac muscle tissue dies

36
Q

Which arteries transport oxygen to the cardiac muscle?

A

Coronary

37
Q

What is atherosclerosis?

A

When arteries narrow because of fat deposits in their walls

38
Q

What kind of fat is usually responsible for atherosclerosis?

A

Cholesterol

39
Q

What are blood clots made of?

A

Blood cells

40
Q

What is another name for blood clots?

A

Thrombi

41
Q

What is one way in which thrombi form?

A

When artery walls are narrowed due to atherosclerosis

Blood cells accumulate in these openings

42
Q

What is coronary thrombosis?

A

Blood clots which form in a coronary artery

43
Q

What is thrombosis?

A

The formation of blood clots

44
Q

What is the singular form of thrombi?

A

Thrombus

45
Q

What is a coronary embolism?

A

When a blood clot forms in another part of the body
And breaks off
Travels to the coronary artery
And causes a blockage there

46
Q

What is angina?

A

When the coronary arteries are only partially blocked

47
Q

What are symptoms of angina?

A

Chest pain

Shortness of breath during exercise and times of stress

48
Q

What can angina mean?

A

It can be the precursor to a heart attack

49
Q

What is arrhythmia?

A

Any disturbance in the rhythm of the heartbeat

50
Q

What may have to happen if a person has arrhythmia?

A

They might need a pacemaker

51
Q

What does a pacemaker do?

A

Sends electrical impulses to the heart instead of the SA node

52
Q

What other issue could a person have with their heart?

A

Their valves might be inefficient

53
Q

What happens if a person’s valves have a problem?

A

They may need a valve replacement

54
Q

What are five possible treatments of cardiovascular diseases?

A
Medication 
Angioplasty
Bypass operation
Heart transplant
Stent
55
Q

What could medication do to improve a cardiovascular disease?

A

Dissolve a blood clot
Thins the blood (which prevents the formation of new clots)
Controls high blood pressure

56
Q

What is angioplasty?

A

A procedure that is carried out
To stretch a narrowed artery
And remove the blockage

57
Q

What is a bypass operation?

A

A surgical procedure

58
Q

What happens during a bypass operation?

A

A blood vessels is cut from another part of the body (often the leg)
And is used to create an alternative route for blood to flow around the blocked part of the artery

59
Q

What is a stent?

A

A procedure where an inflatable balloon is used to open up a blocked blood vessel

60
Q

What is a heart transplant?

A

An operation where an unhealthy heart is removed from a person’s body and replaced with a healthy heart

61
Q

Where are some possible places that a heart transplant could come from?

A

A dead donor
A brain dead donor
A pig
Could be replaced by a machine

62
Q

What is a brain dead person?

A

Someone who is kept alive artificially by machines

Their brain has not shown any activity for a certain amount of time

63
Q

What is a possible risk of having a heart transplant? (in addition to those of any operation)

A

The body could reject the new heart

This means the immune system will attack it like a pathogen